Abstract: An improved process and system for drying moist particulate carbonaceous materials. The invention has particular application to staged drying processes wherein the particulate material is entrained in one or more serially connect hot gas streams having a temperature above the degradation point of the carbonaceous material. The improvement includes providing contactors between the stages which intimately mix and contact the variously sized particles resulting in partial cooling of the smaller hot and dry particles and partial heating of the larger cool and relatively moist particles. The contactor may be provided by a rotating drum, moving bed, fixed bed or fluidized bed. The contactors prevent overheating of small particles during moisture removal and reduce hydrocarbon loss from small particle devolatilization.

Abstract: An improved apparatus and method for feeding heat carrying solids into a solids heater. A feed conduit is provided which may be removably attached to a solids heater shell. The mounted feed conduit includes an outlet portion disposed within a heating chamber which is defined by the heater shell. A jacket tube is sealed around the feed conduit to provide cooling against high temperatures. Further, inlets and outlets are provided for introducing and removing cooling medium from the cooling zone defined by the space between the jacket tube and feed conduit. The feed conduits are removably attached to the heater shell by way of mounting tubes located in the heater shell roof. For inclined heater shell roofs, the length of the mounting tubes are varied to provide common elevational mounting of a single uniform removable feed conduit.

Abstract: In a process for the retorting of oil shale wherein hot flue gases containing oxygen are used for preheating the raw oil shale and wherein, additionally, a combustible sludge containing particulate matter and bottoms oil is produced, method and apparatus are disclosed for forming a combustible mixture of the sludge and the gases whereby the sludge is combusted to raise the temperature of the gases and produce only entrained particulate matter as a by-product. By so doing, the requirement for additional fuel to heat the gases to operational temperatures is reduced and the sludge is eliminated as a by-product of the process requiring separate disposal. Rather, the entrained particulate matter is removed and disposed of along with particulate matter normally produced within the process.